Lady Tigers#039; slide grows to 11 games
Published 12:00 am Monday, April 3, 2006
Greenville softball coach Donna Sunnycalb just wants a break.
But it doesn't seem that she or her team can catch a break after dropping its 11th straight game Thursday during the Tigers' area opener at Eufaula.
Eufaula managed just three hits in the game, but also took advantage of three Greenville errors to shut out the Tigers, 5-0.
Greenville
also was swept on Tuesday in Montgomery by Robert E. Lee. The Tigers fell in extra inning to the Generals 3-2 in Game 1 and then 9-7 in Game 2.
“We're not catching any breaks, but we aren't helping ourselves right now,” Sunnycalb said. “We need to stop beating ourselves.”
Greenville did scatter five hits, but left four baserunners aboard in the loss to Eufaula to drop to 1-11 on the season.
Kendra Mitchell accounted for two hits, while Tara Gibson, Mikki Harris and Kairee Newton had a hit each.
Eufaula broke out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning and then tacked on two more runs following two Greenville errors. Eufaula then added two more runs on an error in the fifth to close out the win.
In Tuesday's doubleheader against Lee, the Tigers looked to break into the win column thanks to their gritty play in Game 1.
Greenville tied the game at 2 in the sixth inning when Danita Crenshaw scored a run, but Lee rebounded in the eighth inning to score the game-winner on the Tigers' fifth error of the game.
Greenville starting pitcher Brittany White threw a masterful game. She allowed five hits, but struck out 11.
“We are not backing our pitching staff up,” Sunnycalb said. “You can't blame our some of the losses as of late on our pitching. Our defense has got to pick it up.”
In Game 2 of the twinbill, Greenville's bats were silent for the most part.
Gibson came away with the Tigers' lone hit of the game, while Lee scattered eight hits and was walked six times.
The Generals answered Greenville's one run in the first inning by plating six runs in the bottom of the frame to take the lead for good.
Lee then tacked on a run in the second and two more in the third to put the game out of reach, while the Tigers tried to make a comeback.
Greenville scored three runs in the third and fifth innings, but could not catch up to the Generals.
“There were a couple of times where we would have runners on second and third (base) with no out or one out and could not get them across home plate,” Sunnycalb added. “We can't wait until the last minute to get going at the plate. We simply are not producing from inning one to seven.”
The Tigers return to action Monday at Elmore County before playing host to Pleasant Home on Tuesday at the Greenville Softball Complex.